Saturday, 27 December 2014

This list was even harder to narrow down than the others but I did my best. So, without anymore delays or any further ado...

Part 3: LPs

'Molestador'
Sesso Violento

On this one-sided 12", Sesso Violento deliver 8 tracks of disgusting, mosh inducing raw black metal/punk with nods to industrial/noise and neofolk. If you like dirty, yet catchy riffs, sinister vocals, and layers of fuzz, then this bad boy is for you. If you don't like at least one of those things, then I'm not entirely sure why you're on this blog.

'Precipice'
Column Of Heaven

This band (and the people involved with it) is (are) always pushing boundaries in extreme music and this tape is no different. Column Of Heaven has moved away from powerviolence and into much stranger territory, combining grindcore, black/death, and industrial/noise to create something truly horrifying. Please stop making the lazy comparison to The Endless Blockade just because the bands share members, this is something entirely different.

'Cigarette Burns'
White Wards

I'd been waiting for this LP for quite some time since White Wards set a high bar with their 2011 7". Despite that, 'Cigarette Burns' still surpassed my expectations. White Wards is everything I want in a hardcore punk band; ripping fast parts, stompy parts, noisy and weird parts, it's all here. If you're looking for some freaky, fucked up, raging hardcore punk, you're in luck.

'Labyrinth Constellation'
Artificial Brain

I know I say "spaced out" a lot on here, but I don't think that describes anything better than this release. Imagine if Demilich and Arizmenda joined forces to create some of the most ridiculous scifi inspired death metal you've ever heard. Well, you don't have to imagine anymore. To use a corny cliche, this album is out of this world (I'm so sorry).

'Norymberga'

Norymberga

This is some truly fucked up shit.
Norymberga (which translates to "Nuremberg") dished out
some absurdly disturbing and distorted noise rock filtered through a
raw black metal/punk lens. I guess it could be compared to something
like Sexdrome or Garrotte, but it feels far more menacing than those
bands. Oh, and there's a seven minute track that's a field recording
of zebras.

'Death'

Teitanblood

Do you want raging black/death that never lets up? Here you go. Teitanblood are relentless and no amount of preparation will make you ready for this LP. This thing is flawless.

'Simulacrum'

Xothist

Xothist's brand of spacey, ambient black metal really caught my attention with their 2011 demo (which I didn't hear until 2012) and when I found they'd dropped a new LP, I was pretty excited. This album makes their demo look weak. Its atmosphere is haunting and truly horrifying; lovecraftian might even work here. And that doesn't even cover the terrifying, dissonant riffs and tortured screams which tie everything together.

'Mental Hygiene'

Internal Rot

This release is a little more straightforward than the others on this list, but it still packs quite a punch. I'd recommend this to anyone who is a fan of killer riffs, groovy grooves, and raging blast beats. Please keep your arms and legs inside at all times, because this album is going to take you on a wild ride.

'Privacy'

Raspberry Bulbs

When this album dropped, I listened to it over and over for a couple days because of how much I loved it. It's Raspberry Bulbs' most fully realized release to date; it combines their trademark dark, noise rock and deathrock influenced, black metal tinged punk with industrial/noise interludes, resulting in something totally twisted. Imagine if Rudimentary Peni, Coil, and Drunks With Guns collaborated and you'd have a pretty good idea of how this album sounds.

'Full Of Hell & Merzbow / Sister Fawn'

Full Of Hell & Merzbow

Okay, so this has been on just about every list this year and there's a good reason why: it's fucking amazing in the literal sense of the word. However, that being said, I don't think most people fully appreciate what this album is doing, nor do they understand just how important it is. I cannot remember a time I've seen a grindcore/noise album get this much attention from such a diverse group of people -- grind fans, noise nerds, hardcore jocks, twinkle emo kids, tumblr hypecore dorks -- everyone is all about this collaboration. It's weird because I doubt many of these people (tumblrcore, emo, and hxc crowds in particular) really get what's going on here and where this album sits in regards to grindcore and noise; it's kind of like people who listen to modern hardcore punk, but have little to no knowledge of the late 70s/early 80s bands who shaped the genre. This album hits me so hard because I recognize the artists who have influenced this material and hearing those artists put together in such a beautifully devastating way makes me feel excited beyond belief. I've watched Full Of Hell grow and change since I first saw them in the summer of 2011 in a tiny basement in Newark, DE, and I'm in awe at how they continually top themselves by building on their previous work and drawing from under-appreciated, yet seminal artists such as Gasp and countless others. On this release, Full Of Hell have honed their vicious sound even further than before, delivering some of the most destructive and well written grindcore I've heard in a while. The Merzbow dominated part of this collaboration is also fantastic in its own way, playing on haunting soundscapes which match the intensity of the Full Of Hell dominated part even though the two parts play on totally different types of intensity. This album is a grindcore/noise masterpiece and I could gush about it for days.

Thursday, 25 December 2014

I finally was able to narrow down my list of favorite EPs from this year, it's a Christmas miracle! As I said in part 1 of my favorite releases of 2014, this year has been way too good, thus making these lists so difficult. I'm not going to write a big preamble, so let's just get to it.

Part 2: EPs

'Ficcion Corporativa'

Rapturous Grief

This was probably my most listened to grind release this year and it's a total rager. Rapturous Grief really seems to have come into their own here, plowing through 10 songs of relentless, stripped down grindcore in under 7 minutes. This makes GridLink's final LP look like an overly polished corny power metal album (which it pretty much is) and the only 2014 grind release which I liked more than this one was the Full Of Hell & Merzbow collaboration.

'Looking For Love'

Total Abuse

Texas's kings of Whitehouse influenced hardcore punk have returned after a couple years of inactivity to bring us yet another adventure into the world of the perverse. While 2011's 'Prison Sweat' LP dealt with very personal issues, 'Looking For Love' brings the band back to songs about S&M and other related topics. The title track feels like something you'd hear on a Brainbombs release, but the other two display the dirty, gritty hardcore punk this band is famous for.

'Always Faithful' split

Jarhead Fertilizer/Purge

Jarhead Fertilizer (members of Full Of Hell, [this is not for you.]), start this split off with an absolutely gut-wrenching grindcore assault that doesn't let up until both their and Purge's songs are finished. The former feels like Discordance Axis if they were 10x heavier and the latter is just plain brutal. 8 songs, 6 minutes, no survivors.

'Gentlemen'

Gentlemen

Australia has been killing it lately and their noise rock game is no exception. If you like nasty and disgusting repetitive noise rock, then Gentlemen's s/t EP is definitely for you. I liked this release much more than their 'Sex Tape' demo, which was still pretty amazing.

'Decomposition Fantasy'

Disciples Of Christ

After their split 12" with Triac, DoC left me craving more of their totally blown out, noise drenched, abrasive grindcore, and this one-sided 12" has only made my hunger grow even stronger (makes me sound like Galactus, hell yea). The first 5 songs clock in at just under 5 minutes, and the sixth song is a cover of Wire's 'Pink Flag' which is pulled off flawlessly. I need more.

'EGM'

NASA Space Universe

I was under the impression that this came out on a tape in 2013, but the 12" I got when I saw NSU said it came out this year, so I'm going to count it as a 2014 release. If you already know NSU, you know what to expect; although if you don't, get ready for a wild ride of weird, spacey hardcore punk with some of the fiercest vocals and ridiculous riffs around. This band gets better with every release.

'Wait For The End'

Pleasure Cross

I heard Pleasure Cross's ripping deathgrind massacre of a demo tape last year and loved it and was thrilled to find out they'd be putting out a 12" on Iron Lung Records this year. Well, this 12" is just as pummeling as the demo. Turns out, this band is the new project of August Alston of Walls, although you'd never know just by listening to it. Brace yourself.

'Mise En Abyme'

Cottaging

Blah blah members of Cult Ritual blah blah. This sounds nothing like Cult Ritual at all, instead of raw, horrifying hardcore punk, Cottaging has gone the route of spaced out noise rock. Of the two EPs they released this year, I liked this one more; the other felt as if the band had moved too far into post-punk revival territory, whereas this one rests at that perfect point between post-punk and noise rock.

'Razorheads'

Razorheads

You want d-beat/raw punk? You got it. Razorheads features members of a bunch of other bands -- most notably Bible Thumper -- and dishes out four ripping tracks on this killer EP. It's got the fast parts and the stomp parts and the riffs and the delayed vocals and everything you want from a d-beat/raw punk release.

'Plataforma/Autopsia'

Balcanes

I really wish there were more than two tracks on this EP, but I'll just have to wait until Balcanes releases more material. These two songs are heavy, dirging, and repetitive with delayed vocals and the overly simplistic instrumentation we've all come to expect from noise rock. While not pushing many boundaries, Balcanes really deliver with their take on the classic noise rock formula; the songs are perfectly executed.

Let me start out by saying that this is my favorite Born Against release. It's got everything I love about them both musically and politically, and is possibly the most caustic and concentrated attack they put out. On top of all of that, it's got goofy and iconic samples of children's cartoons, police raids, a talk show which singer Sam McPheeters called into, and even a threat left on one of the band member's (probably McPheeters again) answering machine, which was quite potentially an inspiration for Chris Bickel of In/Humanity using the sample of Jamey Jasta from Hatebreed threatening him.

Born Against is an incredibly important band in terms of helping to define early 90s hardcore punk. Musically, they had a lot in common with so-called emo and post-hardcore bands, but lyrically they were far more aggressive. That's not to say some of those bands were not political, but none of them were nearly as confrontational as Born Against, who took after bands such as The Crucifucks and Dead Kennedys in their respective unrelenting, uncompromising political assaults and sharp, biting satire. While their strange combination of instrumentation and lyrics helped to set the tone for punk and hardcore that would follow, I can't think of any bands who were able to fully pick up where Born Against left off.

So, why post a vinyl rip of the 10" when there are plenty of rips of the CD version which contains both of their LPs? Well, stupid audiophile shit aside, the vinyl version contains a track which never made it to the CD, and I want people to hear it. The track in question is a seven minute intermission which features a cartoonish old woman talking about the wrath of god, terrorist attacks, war, white supremacy, and a whole list of things while the tune of "Santa Clause Is Coming To Town" loops in the background. It's something that needs to be heard to be believed.

Saturday, 13 December 2014

This is part two of my 2K14 round up and it's all about the LPs. Again I've just been flooded with awesome music, and I guarantee there's stuff I've missed. Otherwise the rest is here -with youtube/bandcamp links to help you catch up on what you've missed. Before I start though I'd like to mention a few albums that might've been on here:

Swans - To Be Kind: Yeah it was good. Yeah it was kinda AOTY. But everyone else has it on their list so shhhhEndon - Mama: I'm absolutely sure this would've made top 10 - had I been able to find a copy and listen to itTrap Them - Blissfucker: A very good chance this would've been on the list too - had it not been a huge fucking let down and arguably the most disappointing album of the yearTriac - Full Length: This would've had a guaranteed spot on the list - but it hasn't been released, and doesn't look like it will be for some time. Alas

Idylls had been one of my favourite Australian bands ever since I first saw them live opening for Punch on their Australian tour. Their debut album, Farewell All Joy was math-y hardcore done right but FUCK after listening to this it can't even hold a candle to this. Prayers For Terrene saw Idylls pushing every element of their sound to the breaking point. The grindcore influence is much more prominent, but so is the noise rock elements. There's more nods to classic Australian punk (see the Venom P. Stinger cover), there's a saxophone and there's just layers upon layers of sound to wade through. Idylls were pretty hard to classify before, but now they've reached dizzying new heights of ambiguity and dissonance. All I can say is that Australia hasn't had a band this intense, loud or crazy before - and I doubt it ever will again. Actual AOTY for sure. Hands down. No competition. Nup. None whatsoever.

Considering it was an album I wasn't excited about at all, Earth's Primitive And Deadly was probably the most pleasant surprise of 2014. Having barely listened to their previous releases, I was still surprised by the inclusion of vocals and a much more psychedelic rock driven sound. That's not to say that Earth aren't as bone shatteringly loud or heavy as the days of yore - because there's plenty of that too. Each of the five tracks on this are repetitive, trance inducing journeys into luscious guitar tones and spaced out riffs. In fact I can safely say that 'From The Zodiacal Light' was my favourite track of 2K14, and Rabia Shaheen Qazi's hazy, chilled out vocal delivery has been stuck in my head for a fair portion of this year. They've been around for years, but Primitive And Deadly proves that Earth are still one of stoner/drone metal's biggest players.

Estuary English has the distinction of being the most venomous, vile collection of recordings I heard all year. Consumer Electronicss (Phillip Best especially) have only gotten angrier and more focused as they've aged, both musically (term used VERY loosely here) and lyrically. Phillip Best's vocals drip with malice, sarcasm and wit as he forces every last syllable out his foam covered mouth. He spits, sputters and screams every known expletive in the English language over broken synth pulses, drum machine beats and shrill blasts of feedback. All this ferocity is channeled into vulgar attacks at modern culture and politics. It's spoken word meets Throbbing Gristle on amphetamine - and it's super good.

Go figure, it takes Wolves In The Throne Room to stop playing black metal for me too reeeeeally enjoy them. Like, don't get me wrong - their black metal stuff is great - but Celestite just takes their, uh, celestial soundscapes to brand new highs. How? Well by ditching the metal, the instruments (for the most part) and milking the nicest, spaciest sounds out of synths as possible. Celestite sits somewhere between Sunn's more quiet output and Tangerine Dream - transcendental ambient music that's as lush as it is melodramatic. If you ever wanted to hear a black metal band scoring a sci-fi film without any blast beats, screaming or tremolo riffs this would be your best bet.

I slept on Raspberry Bulbs previous LP, Deformed Worship in 2013. It promptly became one of my most played albums in 2014.
Then this album was announced.
Unsurprisingly, RB have continued to flesh out their unique combination of post-punk, noise rock and blackened punk - with longer more complex songs and many more ideas present within this album. Privacy has the band moving further away from their 'blackened' influences, and instead sees a much more refined, thought out direction. The inclusion of eerie, weird industrial tracks between every other track on the album is a pleasant surprise too - showing that the band can not only write brilliant punk songs but showcase a diversity of musical styles and their influences.

Abandon featured in last year's top 10 list, and unsurprisingly Pharmakons' 2014 LP, Bestial Burden, is in this one.
New York death industrial musician, Margaret Chardiet, used a near death experience and operation as the inspiration to create the six tracks on this album. Utilizing stark synthesizer textures, samples and apocalyptic percussion, Chardiet's lyrics tackle the fragility of the human body and her health issues - in the noisiest way possible. The meticulous structure and presentation of Pharmakon's previous work remains - more so than before - and incorporates a wider range of vocal styles, samples and sounds. Bestial Burden is a much more diverse collection of tracks than Abandon, but still retains the harsh, uncompromising ethos of the project.

Full Of Hell have come along way since the breakdowns and hardcore riffs on Roots Of Earth..., veering almost directly into grindcore territory. From the very start of their collaboration, the potent combination of Masami Akita's volatile harsh noise and Full Of Hell's salvo of blast beats, riffs and savage vocals grip you by the throat and do not let go. The second disc features Merzbow's contributions in much more detail, with Full Of Hell providing wonderfully unhinged instrumental support - akin to one of their live performances - making for one hell of an uncomfortable, yet hypnotising experience. This is a band who've gone from wearing their influences very heavily on their sleaves to craving their own niche into the genre AND collaborating with arguably the most important contemporary harsh noise artist in the process.

Internal Rot are a three piece grindcore band from Melbourne Australia, consisting of members from Roskopp, Agents Of Abhorrence and Super Fun Happy Slide. Now if that pedigree hasn't got you salivating all over your keyboard, the music will. Imagine shameless Excruciating Terror worship, but played with the speed and intensity of Insect Warfare - but with more groove. It's primitive grind cobbled together with an unhealthy amount of catchy thrashy riffs, more mosh parts than you can shake a fist too and absolutely filthy, raw vocals. Mental Hygiene is the best grind release to come from Australia since Earth.Water.Sun by AoA. Easily.

'Negative Ecstasy'
The Lowest Form

I've sung praises for this band on twooccasions on this blog, and I'll be damned if I don't make it three. Negative Ecstasy is rabid, aggressive hardcore taken to its most illogical extreme. This album's a deadly duel between guitar feedback and buzzsaw riffs, with a madman barking over the top and the drums demolishing anything that happens to be in the path. No did it well last year, but the award for UKHC's craziest, gnarliest release definitely goes to The Lowest Form this year.

'Totem'
White Suns

Since 2008, New York band White Suns have been one of the most obtuse hardcore bands - splitting their time between freeform noise rock, sludgy dirges and experimental, avant-garde tracks. On Totem, they seem to be channeling the frantic, desperate energy of Drive Like Jehu coupled with the intensity of Drunkdriver. Wailing guitars are broken up by crackling oscillators and droning feedback, with sporadic drumming and unpredictable twists and turns. It's the most straightforward and accomplished album the band has released thus far, but it retains the same impact and brunt of previous releases.

Tuesday, 9 December 2014

Okay, so I'm caving and posting part of my list early. What that means is that this list is subject to change, although I'm sure the top 10 will remain the same. 2014 has been ridiculously good and I'm so happy with the amount of amazing releases that were put out this year. Because of the sheer number of things I loved this year, there will be honorable mentions listed at the end because choosing just 10 is impossible.

Part 1: Demos

Anti-Zen 'Anti-Zen'
This band bridges the gap between anarcho-punk, deathrock, and hardcore punk through utilizing sinister, hypnotic riffs and minimalist, yet powerful drumming. I have a rip of this that I've been meaning to post for a while, so I'll put that up soon.Gath Šmânê 'Transmuted Marrow'
What we have here is some truly fucked up death metal with heavy influence from bands like Nirvana 2002 and Nihilist (so basically late 80s/early 90s Swedish death metal) but with subtle atmospheric and black metal leanings and plenty of pinch harmonics.

Blank Spell 'Demo'
Blank Spell has members of Cape Of Bats, Haldol, and other Philadelphia based dark punk bands; they play off kilter deathrock infused hardcore punk which is aggressive and chaotic without losing its bleak atmosphere. This is music for trespassing in cemeteries at night.

Slave House 'Demo'
I think I described this band to somebody as "the black metal Gag." Brace yourself for blown out, stomping madness with evil riffs galore. The only raw black metal/punk bands I can think of that surpasse this level of mosh potential are Sewer Drainer or maybe Sesso Violento.

Chlorine 'Demo 2014'
This demo is twisted in the best possible way. Everything about it makes me want to break shit. It's got riffs, it's got breaks, it's got mosh parts, it's got fast parts, it's got noisy parts, it's got weird parts. It came out late in the year, so I'm sure a lot of people will miss it, but this is a band I will be keping my eye on.

Skáphe 'Skáphe'
I'm not entirely sure how to describe this demo. It's really spaced out, atmospheric black metal like Xothist except it's a little cleaner and possibly a little scarier and it has a subtle hint of death metal thrown in the mix. This is some true nightmare horror black metal madness.

Rash '2014 Demo'
This demo is pretty simple. It's stompy, hyper aggressive hardcore punk. This is the demo to go to if you want killer punk riffs and way too much mosh. I don't have a lot more to say about this but it's good so listen to it.

Nerium Oleander 'Declination'
Here's another weird demo. Nerium Oleander plays what can only be described as a mix of atmospheric raw black metal/punk and industrial/noise. Listening to it kind of reminds me of watching a David Lynch film, or maybe even what it would feel like to be a character in one.

Q "DEMQ"
This is another straightforward hardcore punk demo. Every part of it is mosh inducing, from the stompy caveman parts to the stompy d-beat parts. If you like to break things and/or fight dads, this demo is definitely for you.

Naamahk 'Demo 2014'

Although last on this list, this might be my favorite demo to come out this year. Naamahk combines raw black metal/punk with freaky noise rock to create one of the coolest, most refreshing sounds I heard this year. If SQRM played black metal (yes I already know about Vucub Cane which is just the singer), this is probably what it would sound like.

Monday, 8 December 2014

This is another tape from this year which I had hoped would surface on the internet but never did. I picked it up when my band played with The Coltranes over the summer, but I held off on doing a rip because the tape doesn't have a tracklisting and there was none to be found online. Well, now that the names of the tracks have been made public, I figured it was time to rip this bad boy and share it.

For those of you not already familiar with The Coltranes, they dish out some freaky noise rock in the vein of Scratch Acid and Brainbombs, but the singer croons a good deal of his vocals almost like Glenn Danzig, making for an in interesting juxtaposition. This tape is the band's 6th release, but only the 4th on a physical format. The B-side was a live recording and the dubbing isn't that great on my copy, so I figured I'd just put up the A-side. For those interested in getting a physical copy of this EP since the tape is long sold out, it's being released as a 7" by SPHC, a label run by Kamikaze Dan from Lotus Fucker which has put out some fantastic stuff by bands such as Inservibles, Sete Star Sept, and Column Of Heaven.

If you like weird punk and noise rock don't sleep on this.

Tracklisting:
1. This Is A Whole New Look For Me
2. Distant
3. Seven Shades Of Shit
4. Parallels

Thursday, 4 December 2014

Weird that its already come to this point again, feels like I was just writing up my mid-year picks the other week! 2014 has been a damn good year for music, I hope that we've introduced you to some of you your own favourites over the course of the last year- and I hope we can do it again in 2015. I've had a lot on my plate recently with schoolwork, but I've still found the time to keep up to date, so here are my absolute favourites; the best of the best of 2014.

I had no doubt that this one would be on here when it was announced. Dylan Carlson finally incorporating vocals into his music was a huge breath of fresh air and fit the more psychedelic rock tone of the album perfectly.

Despite
what the legions of metal neckbeards that inhabit the internet would
have you believe, solo Danish black metal act 'Myrkur' was signed to
Relapse last summer because shes pretty damned good, not because shes a
woman. Myrkur's brand of atmospheric black metal is reminiscent of
Ulver particularly, but building on the sense of melodic beauty they
brought to the table- and adding a new tone that makes it feel more
haunting and sinister.

Fantastic doom for fans of Om and YOB, they way they approached such a classic theme in doom (India, the Middle East, Middle Eastern culture/history, etc) by actually blending more aspects of traditional Midde-Eastern and Indian music such as sitar into the background, sort of like Drudkh's Ukrainian folk music inspired approach to their own music works was great- they're also interestingly from Moncton, New Brunswick.

I was super stoked when I was among the first people to hear this album in it's entirety, and pretty much knew it would end up on this list while still trying to remain objective. Seriously though, if you want a great take on raw punk/hardcore in the style of Sump, Sexdrome, and Arnaut Pavle, then you need to check out Witchface asap.

Tanya Tagaq - AnimismGenres: Throat-Singing, Avante Garde, Electronic

While not strictly within the bounds of what is normally posted on FBN, I can't disregard this fantastic album. Incorporating elements of traditional Inuit throat-singing with electronica and experimentalist avant-garde create a tone to Animism the likes of which I've never seen before. The album itself, as well as tracks like "Fracking" also serve as powerful statements on modern Inuit culture and issues; definitely one of my favourites for this year.Pallbearer - Foundations of BurdenGenre: Doom Metal

Profound Lore have snagged themselves another good one here, seriously up there with the likes of Wold, Agalloch, and Lord Mantis- I essentially think that each one of those bands the best that PL has to offer in each of their subgenres, and I definitely consider Pallbearer to be the best amongst the best doom they've got to offer with 'Foundations of Burden'

Trenchrot - Necronomic WarfareGenre: Death Metal
Excellent classically inspired death metal in the style of 80s British greats like Bolt Thrower fused with traditionally Swedish death metal styles. Trenchrot seriously feels like a band in the 80s somehow got a hold of a time machine and traveled to modern Philedelphia, seriously excited for future releases.

I was glad to see that Werewolf still has it in him since his roots of 'Bloody Ritual' and 'Strength and Honour'- its not often that one musician maintains such a consistently great body of work. Sure he has some bad eggs, but Fimbulwinter is definitely not one of them. I was worried that this album would just be him repeating himself and selling it on the fact that he IS Satanic Warmaster, but his style has actually progressed really interestingly with Fimbulwinter.

YOB - Clearing the Path to AscendGenre/s: Doom Metal

YOB are old-hands to the doom metal game, but just like Werewolf on Fimbulwinter, they show that time hasn't degraded them, only progressed them. I was really pleased to see with the way their style has progressed since 'Atma' which I wasn't totally crazy about- 'Clearing the Path to Ascend' is definitely the better album.

Easily my absolute favourite album of 2014, since someone else has already said it better than me, I'll just quote them: "Imagine Lemmy with a pumpkin for a head riding a black leather stallion
through a sea of blood. That’s exactly how this record sounds. Just
faster." I am so glad to finally see Midnight return to the throne of blackened thrash because they definitely deserve it after 'No Mercy for Mayhem'.

Honourable Mentions:
Back from the Abyss - Orange Goblin
The Full of Hell/Merzbow Collab
Soused - Sunn O)))/Scott Walker